Safety of crosswalk questioned after deadly hit-and-run

The black Mazda is still parked on Glendoon Road, across the street from the Great Plain Avenue shoe store where Michael Dorfman worked.

Steven Ryan

The black Mazda is still parked on Glendoon Road, situated across the street from the Great Plain Avenue shoe store where Michael Dorfman worked.

Dorfman was killed in a hit-and-run accident Wednesday as he used a crosswalk to cross the busy avenue, which is without the aid of a stoplight or a caution light, to reach his car.

“It’s ridiculous,” said Lisa Mitchell, manager of the Peacock Feather, which is next door to Michelson’s Shoes. “They don’t let anybody cross down here. They need a blinking yellow light or something. Me, personally, trying to cross the street, they don’t stop for ya.”

The accident occurred around 6 p.m., when most of the businesses in the area close for the day and many employees venture home. Dan Goldstein, the manager at Michelson’s Shoes, described Dorfman as a “hard worker.”

“He was dedicated to the job; he was dedicated to family,” Goldstein said. “We’ve only knew him less than a year, but he was a joy to be with and we’re going to miss him a lot.”

Those in the area who were still at work at the time of the accident said they didn’t see the accident – only the aftermath, in which first responders came to the scene to assist Dorfman.

“It’s unfortunate it came to a tragedy,” Mitchell said, referring to her fears about the crosswalk.

Paula Cogen, a designer at Needham Florist, also on Great Plain Avenue near the accident site, vouched for the need for a traffic light, noting the intersection is even dangerous for cars trying to turn onto Great Plain Avenue from Glendoon Road.

As for the crosswalk, although she seldom has to use it, Cogen believes it can be treacherous as well.